Life Science News

Damming and its effects on fish

IMAGE: Adult alewife that was transported above impassable barriers and released into Potanipo Lake, NH. Adult alewife spawn in freshwater lakes before returning to the ocean.

Credit: Steven Mattocks

Fish that migrate between freshwater and sea ecosystems play a multitude of ecological roles. In the centuries since Europeans first colonized the Americas, damming and other disruptions to river connectivity have greatly decreased the migration opportunities of these species. Recent BioScience author Steven Mattocks of the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst joins us on this episode of BioScience Talksto discuss the effects of lost habitat and river connectivity for these crucial fish. In particular, he explains that because of a dearth of information on pre-1950 conditions, past estimates of lost biomass may drastically underestimate the ecological harm of damming.

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To hear the whole discussion, visit this link for this latest episode of the BioScience Talks podcast.